Its 10:00 Do You Know Where Your Mom Is? (Mom Marketing 2010)

A sizable bit of my business in CPG takes me to studying the buying habits of Moms all across the nation. Today I came across the most current study from The National Retail Federation (RAMA study) below, thought I would share and ask your observations:



My curiosity is; with the importance of MOMs and Marketing, wouldn’t it be interesting to see the Social Media impact on Moms who are one of the most active consumer groups that buy my consumer goods? Some interesting findings from the study are:

*Regular and Occasional Weekly Media Usage: Moms vs. Adults 18 PLUS:
Listen to the radio 80.3% | 70.2%
Listen to Satellite radio 14.2% | 18.0%
Listen to Web radio 15.0% |14.2%
Watch TV 91.2% | 88.9%
Surf the Internet 86.2% | 82.0%
Read/Send E-mail 90.3% | 86.5%
Read magazines 60.7% | 57.6%
Read the newspaper 54.0% | 58.1%
Read the mail 81.5% | 77.9%
Instant Message 30.7% | 26.1%
Blog 11.4% | 9.6%
Video Gaming 27.5% | 28.8%

*Mom Is More Tech-Savvy Than You Think:
The world of online shopping has grown leaps and bounds in the last decade. As the internet becomes more sophisticated, Americans are finding it easier to locate exactly what they want when they want it.

*Moms and Social Media:
Read Blogs: 51.6%
Post to Blogs: 27.7%
Have a “Blog of my own”: 15.3%
Twitter: 15.3%
My Space: 42.4%
FaceBook: 60.3%


What are your observations? Yes, Social media is growing, but what are you doing to find Mom where she is hanging out? Any surprises here?
*Source: BIG research SIMM 14, June 2009 and NRF

2010 Consumer Trends, An Interview With A Former "Luxury Brand Only" Shopaholic.

Amazing statements from a “Brand only” Lady on what she will buy this coming year.

Just got done interviewing Leslie ( changed to protect the innocent) who , for the record, proudly owns 3 Prada, 2 Louis Vuitton, 1 Hermes Birkin, 4 Gucci, 3 Bottega, 2 Chanel, 2 Burberry, 1 Leiber, 3 Tod and a whole lot more real (as opposed to knock offs) handbags. Collectively these handbag values would rival some home mortgages. Leslie gave me an interesting insight to 2010 and what a “brand” now means to her in 2010 in a recent sit-down:

1) The 2010 brands are the “Unbrand”
2) Brands that speak “perceived value”, not luxury will grow this year, Luxury is on hold.
3) Authentic marketing, not speaking to the consumer through a megaphone will win the day.
4) Differentiation 2010 means anything that is not like generic like overstock clothing stores who now have limited choices due to inventory depletions, she says “just junk now”.
5) Mid to upscale Department stores are coming back. Leslie points to Macys who has turned to promotions (BOGO, GWP, and credit card use discounts of 20% which are fun to a shopaholic) which make private label brands more differentiated and a new outlet for “Brands at an affordable price". She says “Macy’s is the brand, it’s affordable, better brands at a lower prices than overstock clothing stores etc. Fun, Fun, Fun........ "
6) Celebrity personalities and brand values need to be in synch, Tiger Woods, where are you today?
7) The “story” of the brand has to be “not ostentatious" and more politically correct.
8) A brand from the street can wipe out millions in Madison Avenue spending by going viral on social media. Gota have it is more and more a grass roots thing…….
9) Social networking is just getting started. Online community connecting is not a fad; it’s the way today's connected community consumers do business.

Leslie is now more into the hunt of shopping, and actually promoting herself as a “brand”, she screams: "I'm a socially responsible consumer". The brands she buys have to project giving back. Of course she still "occasionally pulls out the Birkin when a “statement” is required" !!!